Chapter 97: Returning to The Orphanage

Cold rain pelted her long silver hair, merging into rivulets that slid down her cheeks and dripped into the mud mixed with sewage from the drains.

Chloe climbed out of the manhole cover and shook her head, flinging off the moss clinging to the tips of her hair. Her left eye was a pure white without a pupil, several sharp horns protruded from the left side of her forehead, and traces of blade-claws that hadn't fully retracted remained on her fingertips.

She looked up, and though the rain blurred her vision, it couldn't block out that familiar two-story red brick building. The faded sign for "Raccoon City Public Orphanage" hung askew on the lintel, most of its glass shattered.

This was her first stop after transmigrating to this world, and also her first instance.

Chloe curled her lips into a self-mocking smile. On her first day here, her only thought had been to escape this place. She hadn't expected that while she did eventually escape, it would take a full eight years and leave her in this state—neither human nor ghost.

Suddenly, a little girl's sharp scream pierced the rainy night: "Let go of me... Ah! No, stop..."

This was immediately followed by the dull thud of something heavy hitting the ground, and then a deathly silence.

The pupil of Chloe's remaining eye suddenly constricted as her virus-enhanced perception instantly spread out. The life signals of the entire The Orphanage were clearly presented in her mind: a weak signal from a little girl was moving rapidly, and there was also an extremely familiar aura filled with violence and mutation—it was G1 William Birkin.

She instantly understood the plot's direction. Irons had kidnapped Sherry, but he hadn't expected to be cornered in The Orphanage by G1, who was hunting his own daughter.

So it's September 29, 1998? The night before Raccoon City is nuked? Chloe clenched her fists and then relaxed; according to the plot's progression, Jill should be in the hospital now, being cared for by Carlos (Chloe had no memory of reuniting with Jill at the Clock Tower).

Chloe hesitated for a moment. How could she possibly go see Jill looking like this? She had always been afraid that Jill would see her as a monster. Following Sherry could lead her to the NEST, where there should be an S01 Inhibitor. If that didn't work, she could also go to The Ark through The Orphanage's basement; elpis should have already been developed.

She made up her mind and reached out to push open the ajar front door of The Orphanage. The iron door let out a heavy creak that sounded exceptionally piercing in the empty courtyard. Everything in the yard was exactly as it had been eight years ago; that crooked plane tree was still there, and the swings in the yard let out a mournful creak in the wind and rain.

She crossed the yard and entered the main building. The interior was permeated with a heavy smell of mold and a faint scent of blood. Chloe's footsteps were very light, almost silent, as she glided up the stairs to the second floor like a ghost.

She passed through the playroom filled with a maze of building blocks; the room at the end of the corridor was her starting point when she first transmigrated.

Chloe pushed open the door, and the room's layout had long since changed. The room that was once filled with bunk beds was now empty, with only three lonely wooden beds remaining. Some blurred scratches still lingered on the walls, carved by Chloe and the other experimental children years ago—crooked names and childish graffiti.

She closed her eyes, and it was as if she could still hear the eerie giggles of the test subjects from back then, along with the sound of cold footsteps. On that night eight years ago, she had been shivering under the bed; back then, she had naively thought that as long as she escaped The Orphanage, she could achieve great things in the Resident Evil world.

Chloe raised her hand to touch the horn on the left side of her forehead, the icy sensation making her shiver. Now she truly had enough power to protect herself—the fusion of the T+G dual viruses gave her combat strength that could crush a Tyrant—but this power was also consuming her life every second. She could clearly feel her human consciousness being replaced bit by bit by viral instincts.

Just then, heavy footsteps and painful groans came from the first floor.

Chloe opened her eyes, a cold light flashing in her pupil. She went downstairs soundlessly and pushed open the corridor door leading to the Director's office. At the end of the corridor, a figure was limping toward her.

It was Brian Irons.

Half of his face had been corroded by sulfuric acid, exposing red flesh; his hair was burnt black, and his stomach was abnormally distended, bulging tightly against his vest. Blackish-red blood continuously dripped onto the floor along his pant legs. With every step, he let out a pained grunt.

Seeing Chloe, a flash of surprise crossed Irons' clouded eyes, followed by a sudden burst of frantic laughter: "You're... Jill's little girl... Hahaha..." He clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he couldn't stand straight. "You... you were infected too... We're the same... none of us can escape..."

Chloe stood in place, looking at him coldly without saying a word. This was the man who had taken Umbrella Corporation's dirty money and sent countless children into laboratories; this was the man who had forced her to leave Jill and hide in the underground pipe network; this was the man who had nearly destroyed the warmth she had worked so hard to obtain.

Suddenly, Irons' laughter stopped abruptly. He slammed onto his knees, hands clutching his stomach tightly as he let out a heart-wrenching scream. His stomach expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, the skin stretching until it was shiny, and then—*splat*—it burst open!

Blood and organs splattered everywhere as a slimy G-Embryo crawled out of his abdominal cavity, letting out a sharp hiss. It wriggled on the ground a few times before quickly crawling into a ventilation duct and disappearing into the darkness.

Chloe glanced with disdain at Irons' unrecognizable corpse. For a piece of scum like him, such a death was far too good for him.

She stepped over the corpse and into the Director's office. The office was a mess, with documents scattered everywhere and the desk overturned. In the corner, the secret passage to the basement had been opened, a rusty iron ladder hanging down, with the faint sound of dripping water coming from below.

Chloe walked to the edge of the ladder and looked down into the bottomless darkness. She remembered this basement; she had gone to The Ark through this very basement years ago. Sherry must have gone down here to hide from G1's pursuit.

Memories flooded back once more, and Chloe clenched her fists, the blade-claws on her fingertips popping out again. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the iron ladder. The cold metallic sensation traveled up from the soles of her feet, and as she descended step by step, the darkness completely swallowed her figure.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Raccoon City, Claire was moving rapidly against the walls. She had just come out of the police station's underground parking lot, the blue keycard gripped tightly in her hand, her revolver already loaded.

At the parking lot exit, several corpses wearing black tactical gear lay in pools of blood. Claire knelt down and pulled back the sleeve of one corpse, revealing the S.T.A.R.S. badge underneath.

Her heart suddenly tightened. These were S.T.A.R.S. members? Could they all have...

Claire bit her lip, thinking of the flippant letter Chris had left behind. She forced herself to calm down; Chris should be safe. The priority now was that Sherry was still in Irons' hands, and she had to rescue Sherry first.

She went to the Kendo Gun Shop, but the door there was already closed. Claire moved quickly along the back alleys, avoiding the swarms of corpses on the main streets. Rain soaked her red jacket, making it cling tightly to her body, but she didn't notice at all.

Passing through a narrow alley, an outdoor basketball court appeared before her. Several Zombie Dogs were wandering the court; hearing the noise, they snapped their heads around, baring sharp fangs and letting out low growls.

Claire didn't shrink back. She ducked behind a trash can, and the moment a Zombie Dog lunged, she stood up abruptly and fired three precise shots into the heads of three Zombie Dogs. Black blood splattered across the basketball court, and seeing this, the remaining two Zombie Dogs lunged even more frantically.

Claire backed away quickly to open up some distance, then fired two more shots, taking down the remaining Zombie Dogs. She caught her breath, wiped the rain from her face, and continued toward The Orphanage.

Ten odd minutes later, Claire finally arrived at the entrance of The Orphanage. When she saw the wide-open iron gate, her expression instantly turned grim.

Irons wouldn't have left the door unlocked.

Someone else must have been here.

Claire gripped her handgun and cautiously walked into the yard, closing the gate behind her. She crossed the empty courtyard and entered the main building, calling out in a low voice: "Hey! I have the locket! Sherry! Sherry, are you there?"

The only response was the sound of rain drumming against the glass and the distant low moans of zombies.

Claire's heart sank. She rushed up to the second floor and searched the rooms one by one, but she didn't see a single soul. All the rooms were empty, with only dust on the floor and scattered toys.

She returned to the first floor and headed toward the Director's office. Just as she reached the corridor, a thick smell of blood hit her. Claire raised her gun and aimed forward, slowly walking over.

When she saw Irons' corpse, Claire gasped. The corpse's stomach had been completely blown open, organs were spilled across the floor, and he had died in a truly gruesome manner. Fresh claw marks remained on the nearby wall; he had clearly died just moments ago.

"Sherry!" Claire called out urgently, her voice trembling slightly. "Where are you? Answer me!"

There was still no response.

Claire walked into the Director's office and immediately saw the hole in the corner. The basement door was open, and a chilling wind blew out from the darkness.

She walked to the edge of the hole and looked down. The bottomless darkness was like the mouth of a giant beast, ready to swallow anyone at any time. But Claire didn't hesitate for a second; she touched the Golden Rose Locket in her pocket—it was the only thing Sherry had left behind.

"Hang in there, Sherry. I'm coming."

Claire took a deep breath, gripped her handgun, and stepped onto the iron ladder. She descended step by step; the light behind her grew dimmer and dimmer until it finally vanished completely.